By LOOI SUE-CHERN
MORE than 2,500 Girl Guides, Rangers and Brownies from schools in Penang observed the movements’ World Thinking Day this year with a very special “line-up”.
They lined the 8km route of a jeep ride which took Girl Guides Association of Malaysia president Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah from Convent Green Lane (CGL) to St Xavier’s Institution (SXI) during the Penang state-level celebration of the event last Saturday.
The Prime Minister’s wife, who was the guest-of-honour at the Penang celebration, was accompanied by the association’s chief commissioner Datin Zalillah Mohd Taib and Penang Girl Guides Association (PGGA) president Datin Seri Su Hashim on the ride. Jeanne had earlier opened the celebration at CGL.
There were also 20 Girl Guides on bicycles and 15 PGGA leaders on trishaws accompanying the jeep to meet the girls who formed the line in batches.
Jeanne lighting up the Guiding Light torch to start off the event.The association is attempting to enter the Malaysian Book of Records for the longest human chain through the line-up which stretched along Jalan Mesjid Negeri, Scotland Road, Macalister Road, Peel Avenue, Pangkor Road, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah and Farquhar Street.
At the closing ceremony of the celebration at the SXI field, Jeanne handed over RM3,000 collected by the PGGA through a walkathon to two welfare organisations – Pure Lotus Hospice of Compassion and the Handicapped Children’s Association in Bukit Mertajam.
She also handed over a donation of alumminium can ring tabs collected by the PGGA to the Prostheses Foundation of H.R.H. The Princess Mother of Thailand which uses the tabs to make artificial limbs. The donation was received by the foundation’s secretary-general Dr Therdchai Jivacate.
Zalillah, in her speech, congratulated the PGGA for its fine work in organising the huge celebration.
“We hope to see the association continue to develop into a more excellent and dynamic organisation and do its part to train young women to be sincere and pure in speech and action,” she said.
The annual World Thinking Day, which falls on Feb 22, is celebrated globally for Girl Guides to think and give thanks to each other.
It is themed Guides Worldwide Say: “Stop the Spread of Aids, Malaria and other Diseases” this year.
The celebration also commemorates the birthday of Lord Baden-Powell who founded the Boy Scout Movement, and his wife, Lady Olave Baden-Powell who was World Chief Guide.